#Sharing an #Excerpt from #HisChristmasDelight #romance #novella

Sharing today a snippet from His Christmas Delight which is my latest book.
It is the story of Myra and Jay who have known each other since childhood but meet again after a tragedy they both must fight free of.
…………

They ended up walking along the shore. Hands brushed. The breeze brought his scent. She was conscious of the vibrations between them. She wanted to touch him, feel the reality of him. All afternoon her gaze had been touching his and veering away. She’d been looking at him. Maybe he’d felt it. Her gaze seemed to have developed a kind of magnetic susceptibility to his features.
Her gaze meshed with his again. Held. She felt her breath skid and wanted to tell him. But, at the last moment, lost her nerve.
Her mind brewed something innocuous to take away the awkwardness engulfing her.
‘So what now?’ she said with suitable casualness. ‘Going back to your designing? Will you be leaving soon?’
‘I’m helping Dan get things together, maybe do some more work on the shop, so I’ll stay on for a few more days.’
‘That’s superb.’ She caught his hand impulsively, ‘Jay, admit it. You’re delaying because you don’t want to face leaving. You belong here.’
‘No, Myra. That life is over. I don’t need the same surroundings, the same –’
‘People? What are you scared of?’ She’d crossed some invisible barrier. She could see his face shut down. ‘Give those who are near to you, a chance. Share what you feel. You’ll get well –’
‘Don’t pry where you’re not welcome,’ he said grimly.
‘Fine, I won’t. I don’t have any desire to. I have some pride, you know,’ she bristled. She couldn’t say why she’d got so worked up over it but she couldn’t remember being so angry in the near past. ‘It’s enough to be told we were never friends.’
‘I’ve told you I never meant it the way it sounded,’
‘How magnanimous of you. Because, after not bothering to come inside while passing by my house, not bothering to ever call to even ask how I’m doing after Pete –’
‘How do you know about that? About me being near your place? You saw me,’ he said, realizing it in the same instant.
‘Yes, I did. And after you told me to get away yesterday afternoon, I kept thinking it was because you didn’t want to bother about me. But then you tell me you’ve had feelings for me and don’t want to follow them up. Despite all that, you come with me to Tonya’s and – and –’
‘And what?’
‘And nothing.’ Her tirade faltered because unexpectedly moisture stung the back of her eyelids. ‘Except that it feels you’ve been here since forever. And then you do this complete turn-about…’ Her voice had gone horribly squeaky.
‘Myra….’
Oh God, was he going to tell her not to be foolish. But he said, ‘I felt like that too,’ his voice oddly gruff.
‘No, you didn’t,’ she accused. ‘Because you want to turn us all away. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be refusing what’s so apparent, nor behaving like a virtual stranger –’
The rest of the words were lost because he caught her arm and turned her towards himself and he was suddenly close.
‘Behaving like a stranger?’ he growled. ‘When I’ve been fighting not to touch you, that’s rich –’
She felt the scent of his breath. His gaze tangled with hers. ‘Is it like being a stranger when I want to walk away, but then find I can’t let this time with you come to an end? When every second draws me to you one step more and I can’t –’ He didn’t finish the thought. A moment, too intense to be broken, stood between them and then his mouth was on hers.